Your Excellencies,
General and Flag Officers, CWO & CPOs, Defence Team members,
Members of the Remembrance Day Sentry Program and their families,
Distinguished guests,
And most particularly, our guest of honour today, Mrs. Maureen Anderson,
Bonjour. Good afternoon.
I would like to begin by thanking Your Excellencies for hosting us today.
I would also like to recognize the Members of the Remembrance Day Sentry Program who stood vigil at our National War Memorial today, and their families.
The pride and quiet dignity with which you stood guard reflected perfectly the solemnity of today's ceremony.
Today and every day, you are ambassadors of the Profession of Arms, and all of us who wear the uniform.
It is always such an honour to participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies …
…knowing that, across the country, Canadians are joining together to pay tribute to those who have served…
… to the veterans who returned home and their comrades who didn't.
Comrades who paid the ultimate price to defend Canada, our values and our way of life.
This year, in particular, we think back to the thousands of bold Canadians who stormed Juno Beach 80 years ago on D-Day, setting the stage for the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of Europe…
… and the sailors and aviators who risked all - and in some cases gave all - to support the invasion.
We also think of the thousands of Canadians who have served in the Royal Canadian Air Force over the past hundred years, as it celebrates its centennial.
And we think of the many thousands of Canadians who have served, over generations in defense of the values we hold dear.
Canadians like Ron and Ryan Anderson, brothers and brothers-in-arms from the beautiful province of New Brunswick.
Mrs. Anderson, thank you for agreeing to be the Royal Canadian Legion's National Silver Cross Mother for the next year…
… a role in which you will represent all those who have lost sons or daughters in service of our country, and support them in their grief and healing.
More specifically, you are focusing your efforts on parents whose children struggled with PTSD in the aftermath of their service.
The work that we ask members of our Armed Forces to do is essential to our future.
They find themselves often on the front lines between freedom and tyranny.
The result of this struggle will determine the world we leave for future generations.
Our world is changing and the future is uncertain…
… full of complexity and ambiguity.
Our personnel in uniform have the tough task of adapting to this challenging environment, and
Military service also asks a great deal from the families who support our service members.
Mrs. Anderson, you know the demands of military service on a family,
Not that familiarity makes it any easier.
Military service runs, literally, in your family.
One of your grandfathers fought the First World War at sea with the Royal Navy.
Your father took up arms in the Second World War with the proud North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment.
Your mother was a war bride. She - and you! - returned with him to Canada after the fighting was done. And you have yourself served as a nurse in the RCAF.
You yourself felt the call of duty, enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force nursing corps after settling here in Ottawa, where you met a Royal Canadian Regiment veteran who became your husband.
You and Peter raised two amazing sons, Ron and Ryan, both of whom knew even as boys that they wanted to be soldiers and joined the Army - as soon as they were of age.
And we are proud that your grandson Bryce - Ron's son, now serves in our Canadian Army.
Ron and Ryan played at being soldiers when they were boys.
Their childhood dreams would eventually become reality, with the Royal Canadian Regiment.
Ron was in cadets and the militia before enlisting full-time in the Army.
He represented Canada proudly in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo before serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
On his first tour he received a Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation for risking his own life to save the life of an Afghan child.
Ryan followed in his big brother's footsteps as soon as he could. His service took him through Bosnia, Eritrea, and Haiti.
And then, on Ron's second tour of Afghanistan, Ryan was there too - both brothers serving in H Company.
On that tour the Anderson brothers and their fellow soldiers survived some of the Afghanistan war's most dangerous moments.
Under relentless enemy fire.
And they returned home to their families.
But not all wounds are physical.
And not all wounds are visible.
Except, sometimes, to the people whose loved ones are the wounded.
In their late father's words: Ron and Ryan Anderson "brought the war home with them."
Many families know the incredible pride that comes with seeing a son or daughter in uniform.
Many families know that pride. Too many also know the incredible grief at their loss.
Mrs. Anderson, you have known this grief not once, but twice.
You wear not one Silver Cross, but two.
It's more than any mother should have to bear.
But you bear it with grace, resilience, and a stoic sense of purpose.
And with the determination to serve in your own way.
We know that, as a Silver Cross Mother, you will be a beacon in the night and a strong pillar for other families suffering the pain of such a loss.
Mrs. Anderson, we are eternally grateful for your service and the service of your sons, Ron and Ryan.
Proud Canadians who gave their passion, their strength and their courage, in hopes of making the world a better place.
We mourn their loss with you.
And hold you in our highest esteem.
You are due all the respect and admiration we can possibly muster, and all the support we can offer as you assume this important role.
On behalf of every member of the Canadian Armed Forces, merci. Thank you. Miigwetch.
General Jennie Carignan
Chief of the Defence Staff
